


Where we are.

by Soulsinabottle



Series: We are the Fae [3]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: AU - Horrortale, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Lovers but not quite, Maybe a little smut later, Not much smut here, Reader is not a monster, Starvation, Violence, fae, lots of fluff tho, more tags to come probably, reader is not human
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:53:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28605522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soulsinabottle/pseuds/Soulsinabottle
Summary: This is the third segment in my series. This features Crowe, a Kelpie, and her discovery of what's important and what's not.
Relationships: Sans/Reader
Series: We are the Fae [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1905223
Kudos: 9





	Where we are.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is for Crowe, showing how even the most dangerous and unpredictable of fae can be soft and kind. And the Horror bros, showing that even though they are starved and twisted, they are still good at their core.

It was so cold. The air froze as soon as it escaped him, staring through the cracked window into the expanse of snow beyond. Even when they had escaped the hell of the underground it hadn't gotten any better. Whatever it was that had caused the famine below had leeched into the surface and thus the reception the monsters had received, while initially good, was lackluster and did not meet the needs that the damaged monsters of the underground needed. Sure... they were fed. Sort of. But the food was poor quality and often nearly rotted. His one good eye light watched the tree line, he had seen some deer a few days prior and their food had run out last night. He couldn't let Papyrus go hungry, so he was hoping that they would be back and be unlucky enough to run into the trap he had prepared overnight. Now he just had to wait.

\----

“We are a go. Let's get this done with, we have a lot of hungry mouths to feed at home.” your voice was harsh and commanding, your brothers nodding their heads and turning their gazes to the farm just beyond the safety of the tree line. Ever since the monster's emerged famine had spread across the continent and even the reclusive fae had not been immune to the effects. Their livestock and crops withering in fields that made them have to 'borrow' from the human's. Needless to say, the humans were not pleased about this, and had taken to guarding their food sources with shows of force. That's where you and your brother's came in, you were Kelpie and as such were highly trained soldiers. You were sent to take just what your people needed, which wasn't much in the grand scheme of things. You always left payment for the taken goods, you weren't an uncivilized bunch. The heavy pouch of gold pieces hung at your waist and you eyed the barn with hungry eyes. The humans had been recovering far easier then all the other peoples of the planet, their agriculture systems quickly shifting so that their people were well fed, humans were very intelligent and adaptive. Now if only they weren't so evil. The Fae knew that the humans had plenty of food, they also knew they fed the monsters the worst and least edible of their stores. It was disgusting to the long lived people. Sadly they had little ways to help with their own magic heavy crops withering. “Remember boys. Just 2 cows and a sheep or pig if we can snag one.” Your snapped a bit at them, they were reckless at times and often tried to take more then their fair share. More then the Fae needed. Your eldest brother rolled his eyes and nodded, the two younger eager to prove themselves. Nodding to yourself you shifted, pawing a hoof in the deep snow as your pale gray coat blended with the snow. The three males also shifted, their coats also variations of white or grey like yours. Satisfied you led the way, picking through the bushes and leading them towards the barn in a calculated manner. Dropping the bag of gold by the door and pushing your way inside. 

The three of you ignored the dairy cattle, instead pushing past to where the barn opened into a massive field. The angus beyond were all beef cows, thick and heavy. You had an acquaintance scouting the farm out for weeks to figure out which cattle were off limits and which were fine to take and the puca was nothing if not through in her report. Pointing your nose to a pair of cows towards the back of the field, they would be easy to drive. The boys snorted and dashed that direction, hooves pounding through the snow and it wasn't long before they had the pair of beef cows away from the herd and downed. Your older brother shifted back to his 'human' form and hoisted the first cow onto one of the younger, the second quickly following it. Nodding your head you watched, ears twisting and listening for signs of being seen. The shot rang out and your head twisted instantly, even before you saw the bullet hit the youngest of your siblings before healing over nearly instantly. Your one good eye instantly picking out the farmer and his son. You screamed out a shrill order for them to get going before charging at the farmer, you had no intention of hurting them, but they needed to be distracted and what better distraction then a 'horse' charging? The boys had taken off when you told them to, easily leaping the fence and disappearing with the dead cows into the trees. 

You turned sharply, spraying snow, and made to chase after them when a sharp pain raced down your side. It nearly stole your breath away with how much it hurt and you turned your head to see a long wound down your side over your ribs nearly to the bone that peeled the skin back for the length of your side. Blood poured from the wound and you wondered why it wasn't healing. It was then you saw the farmer's son, a crude iron blade in his hand. Of course. Iron. You were under orders not to kill any humans but you kicked out at him regardless, a hoof landing square on his chest and flinging him backwards into the snow. He'd live, probably. Shuddering you snorted once before running towards the fence, barely clearing it as you stumbled on the other side and tumbled in the snow. It didn't take long for you to get your feet back under you and you disappeared into the trees. That could have gone better.

The vision in your good eye was hazy and unfocused, side effect of the iron poisoning, and it wasn't long until you had gotten lost. The path of your brothers long since lost to you, and the winter dead branches slapping you in the face and across your sides painfully as you pushed onwards. Walking in circles until you finally broke into a clearing. Your head was low, blood stained your legs as you pushed through the snow trying to find a place you could take cover and shift to deal with this wound. You were so tired though, so very tired. The shack in the distance would work if you could make it there, trudging forward slowly before exhaustion took you and you collapsed into the thick snow.

Sans couldn't believe his luck, no deer had shown up but out of the woods had walked an injured animal, a big one. It had been heading right for their 'house' when it had fallen over. He could barely contain his grin, Papyrus would get to eat well today! He waited to see if it would get back up before making his way towards the disturbed snow where it fell. Luckily it was close so he wouldn't have far to drag it. Surprise instead filled his face when he reached the deep hole in the snow where that massive creature had fallen only to find what looked like a human woman. She was tall and lean, barely any meat on her bones at all, her hair a dove gray color and a grisly wound on her side. He looked around, clearly confused, before nudging her with his foot. Her eyes opened for a moment, the left one hazed and unseeing, before they fell shut again. Sans sighed to himself. He supposed they could just eat HER instead but it wouldn't make for much of a meal. Scooping her up and slinging her over his shoulder the butcher turned and started back to his home. He set her on the floor near the door, turning to look for his cleaver as he heard Papyrus in the kitchen trying to make what he could with what they had.

“BROTHER! DID YOU MANAGE TO CATCH ONE OF THE DEER?” His brother's voice boomed and Sans grunted. 

“nah.” Sans' baritone responded and he glanced at your body again. “just a human.” Papyrus nearly dropped his dish in the sink where he was washing them, the thin soup on the stove boiling soft roll. His tired eyes turned to look towards his brother before he wiped off his hands and walked towards where you were. You were tall, Papyrus was taller by far. 

“We... We Don't Eat Humans Anymore.” Papyrus wrung his hands, you looked so frail, and you were bleeding pretty heavily from your side. “Did You Do This To Her?” 

“no. found her.” Not a lie, he did find her and he didn't hurt her. He sighed as Papyrus knelt and began trying to heal the woman. Wasting his magic on food was a poor choice in the skeleton's opinion. However, it seemed like the healing didn't do much, the bleeding had stopped but the wound was still gruesome. You muttered something before your eyes opened slowly. He noticed that the left eye still seemed to be unseeing and he reflexively tugged on his empty right socket. You grimaced and moved to stand up, holding the flap of skin over your ribs tight as if trying to will it to heal.

“Who are you?” Your voice filled the quiet room. “Where are we?” Your good eye was keen and alert, taking in the terrible conditions they lived in. Sans suddenly felt ashamed of how meager they lived but you didn't seem to be judging, instead you looked to be merely trying gather your bearings. “Can I use your sink? I need to wash this.” You hadn't even waited to hear any of their answers as you wavered on your feet, that iron had really taken a good hold on you, if you wanted this wound to heal at all you really did need to wash it out really well.

“Human... Are You Alright?” Papyrus' voice seemed to startle you and you blinked a few times before nodding. 

“Mhm. Thanks for bringing me out of the snow Mr....?” You blinked at him and Papyrus seemed to come back to himself.

“AH! HOW RUDE OF ME! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” He stood tall, tattered scarf flapping in the breeze. Was there a breeze in here? Probably, it was very drafty. “Come, Let Us Clean That Wound.” You nodded your head, not at all put out by his brother's appearance. Sans was unsure if he liked or was suspicious of that.

“Thank you Papyrus. I'm Crowe.” You introduced yourself and followed him towards the kitchen, hiking your shirt up a bit to inspect the open wound with an almost bored look. Sans was again surprised when you turned on the hot water and began to scrub the wound with your bare hand roughly, almost scraping it really. After a moment you took a small dab of the dish soap and began scrubbing it again, making it start to ooze blood once more. After a moment you nodded and neatly folded the flap of skin over the wound and rubbed it slowly, your good eye starting to glow faintly with cyan light. Soft clouds of silver escaped your nose as you breathed, coiling around your body before seeping back into your skin. And just like that, before his eyes the wound healed itself a bit, at least holding shut. It then dawned on him, you weren't human... you were either a mage which means he would have to kill you as soon as he could, or you were one of those fae things that the humans were always complaining about.

“Wowie! That Was Impressive. Are You A Mage?” Papyrus was so excited when you displayed magic that you chuckled. Monsters were so sweet, it really was disgusting how they were treated.

“No, I'm a Kelpie.” Your explanation explained nothing to the monsters and you tapped your chin thoughtfully. “I'm a Fae.” So his assertion was right, you weren't human at least that could put him at ease. If there was a mage in his house he might have hyperventilated right then and there and gone into a panic attack. Your gaze started looking around the shack again and a frown touched the corners of your lips. Were you judging them for how they had to live? You moved to walk and stumbled, clearly not healed well yet. Papyrus reached out and steadied you and you grimaced before sitting on the floor and sucking a few breaths. “Sorry about that... iron poisoning isn't very fun. I'm just gonna ... sit here a moment ... then I'll be out of your hair-” she paused at her words and chuckled. “In a manner of speaking.” That seemed to tickle you and while he was annoyed Sans didn't see any real harm in letting it go, at least it had been a pun which he could appreciate. You closed your eyes and rested against the wall, sucking deep breaths for a few before you seemed to doze off. 

“Brother. What Should We Do About This?” Papyrus' voice cut through Sans' thoughts and the older sibling looked at his brother. 

“nothin.” was the answer and Sans walked towards the door to check his traps. “she'll leave soon.” He had to check his traps, see if anything came up with some game. Papyrus looked at you, laying on the rough floor, he could hear a soft wheeze in your breath probably due to pain then moved back to the stove to stir his meager soup. He wished he had more things to add to it, but it would have to do. Perhaps there would be enough to give you a little before you left. He wasn't sure but he would offer regardless. 

You didn't wake up that night thus the brothers didn't need to worry about feeding you, your body healing itself slowly, and when you did wake up you found yourself laid on a lumpy couch. You weren't sure when or how you got here, but you were grateful to not be on the floor still. Standing up slowly you looked around the dark home, it was cold in here... and you could smell the mildew. This was no way for these kindly monsters to live. You recalled the massive hole in the shorter's head, and sweet Papyrus' damaged teeth. There was no way the humans were treating them proper. You could provide better, as payment for saving you from the cold and iron poisoning. Nodding to yourself you opened the door, cringing at the creak, and stole away into the black of night. 

Papyrus rose early, as he always did, only to find the couch empty with no sign of you anywhere. It was discouraging. He did so hope that you would be friends with him, he didn't really have any friends. But you were gone with no indication of which way you went, so he went about making what he could for breakfast. Sans got up around noon, also both surprised but pleased to notice you were gone. He didn't need another mouth to feed. He ate what little Papyrus had to offer for lunch and was about to go check his traps when a knock came to the door. The brothers gave each other a look, the humans weren't due back to give them the next week's rations for two more days. Papyrus moved to the damaged front door to find you standing there. Your face was calm and collected, and you were looking over a sheet of paper on a clipboard with an appraising expression. Looking up when you heard the door open your good eye met Papyrus and you grinned.

“Hey. Got you some stuff.” Using your thumb you indicated what looked to be a horse drawn sled with no horse. The back was piled with things, building materials, food, looked like there were a few live chickens too. “Gonna help fix up your place, it was rather cold in there last night. You guys did me a solid, so I wanna repay you.” Your voice was rather stoic, almost tired, and they didn't need you to tell them that it took some doing to get this stuff. 

“no.” 

“No?” You blinked your eyes, clearly confused and looked to Papyrus for clarification. From what you can tell, the shorter brother is a skeleton of few words.

“We Couldn't Possibly Accept. Surely You Need These Things.” He stated and you again looked perplexed.

“I really don't. I got this stuff for you. It really isn't a problem for me.” You insisted and Sans shook his head. 

“can't, humans 'll stop bringin food.” 

You didn't understand that at all. How could fixing a few holes and some broken glass mean they wouldn't get their rations? Tilting your head you looked both upset and a bit angry about the thought.

“Then I'll bring you food.” Your tone was matter of fact, one good eye boring into theirs. Expecting them to accept your words easily. “I can feed you. Hell, I can bring you away from here to a nicer house... a warm house. Safe.” These monsters had done you a kindness, you had no idea Sans had planned on eating you and at this point it wouldn't matter. “It's up to you, either I fix this place or I can take you somewhere else. I won't accept no.” You owed them a great debt. If you had been left in the snow with iron poisoning there was a very good chance that you wouldn't have made it. You would have froze to death, longevity doesn't mean much when faced with freezing temperatures. 

“can't leave. they'll know.” Sans tried again and you nodded and moved to the sled, pulling out a crate with a pair of chickens in them. 

“These are for eggs. I have a rooster too, hatch the eggs to get more chickens, you can eat the males when they grow a bit.” You set the crate down and pulled out slabs of wood, rolls of insulation, and a few windows. Setting them down you pulled out a toolbelt and strapped it around your waist. 

“You Really Don't Have To Do This Miss Crowe!” Papyrus started and you held up a hand to stop him.

“You saved my life, you were kind to me and I appreciate that. Not many are kind to Kelpies.” You said simply and moved to the first missing board. This house was barely that, it was a shack really. Barely any heat and only the illusion of protection from the elements. You moved to start hammering the board into place and found your hammer missing from your hand, the shorter skeleton tossing it behind him in the snow. 

“can't accept. gotta keep paps safe.” You sighed. You wanted to give them a proper place to live, but it seemed that they weren't going to accept your help easily. 

“I don't think I caught your name before.” You deflected, slinging the plank of wood over your shoulder and moving to the sled to set it down. You picked up a stone, it looked pretty mundane, though it glittered in the light rather prettily. You walked towards their door and shoved some snow out of the way with your foot, setting the rock so it faced just so. Perfect. Now your faeline was placed and the two were none the wiser. “Though it doesn't really matter. I owe a debt, one I intend to repay. Life for life.” You glanced at the shorter skeleton, your face just as emotionless as his own. Dead eye staring into dead eye.

“sans.” He offered a hand to you after a moment to shake, as you placed your hand in his shooting pain shot from your palm to your elbow, drawing your hand back sharply so a spray of crimson painted the snow. Hissing in annoyance you flexed your fingers as the flesh and tendons knitted back together.

“The fuck was that for?!” Your patience was running thin, not that you had much to start with, but the look of amusement and mirth on the skeleton's face made you pause.

“th' ole hand buzzer. Classic.” He chortled quietly, and really it hadn't done you much harm, just annoyed you really. It wasn't like the blades were iron after all. Still you were quite annoyed with the brothers at this point and you let your eyes go lax and bored.

“Are you fucking kidding me...” Your words a mere grumble as the short skeleton guffawed and chortled. You moved to pick up your hammer and felt, rather than heard, when sans growled at you. Your eyes instantly shot to him and narrowed threateningly. “Did you just growl at me?” The shorter brother didn't answer, but as your fingers curled around the handle of your hammer you heard him growl again. Oh hell to the no. You were going to get this done if you had to pin this monster under you to do it. Dropping the hammer you spun, ready to swing on him when you felt the bite of a blade in your shoulder, digging deep through your clavicle. Lips pulled from teeth in a sharp toothed snarl.

“said. no.” The skeleton's voice was low and gravelly, the deep tone making a chill shoot up your back before your grimace twisted into a crazed grin.

“And I said yes.” Your own voice was raspy and cold, let the battle begin. As the thick blade dislodged itself from your flesh you felt the bones pop painfully back into place, healing quickly as flesh quickly mended over the wound before his eyes. “Alright monster, you want a fight. I'll give ya one.” You charged before the last word died on your tongue.


End file.
